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Person of interest detained after Brown University shooting
Police in Rhode Island said early Sunday that they had a person of interest in custody after a shooting that rocked the Brown University campus during final exams, leaving two people dead and nine others wounded.
Col Oscar Perez, chief of the Providence police, confirmed at a news conference that the detained person was in their 30s. Perez did not say where they were arrested or whether theywere connected to the university.
The shooting erupted in the engineering building of the Ivy League school in Providence, Rhode Island, during final exams. Hundreds of police officers had scoured the Brown University campus along with nearby neighborhoods and pored over video in pursuit of a shooter who opened fire in a classroom.
Providence leaders warned that residents will notice a heavier police presence on Sunday. Many local businesses announced they would remain closed and expressed shock and heartbreak as the community continued to process the news of the shooting.
“Everybody’s reeling, and we have a lot of recovery ahead of us,” said Brown University President Christina Paxson said at the news conference.
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Person of interest was detained at a hotel near Providence, FBI says
The FBI has now said the person of interested was taken into custody at a Hampton Inn hotel in Coventry, about 20 miles (32km) from Providence.
Officers remained on the scene there, with police tape blocking off a hallway, the Associated Press reports.
An image from the hotel show officers cordoning off a hallway:
Brown University president Christina Paxson gave an update on the condition of the students injured in the attack.
She said seven of the students remained in critical but stable condition. One student remains in critical condition. She added: “Our prayers continue to be with them and their families.”
One student was discharged from the hospital last night and left with their parents. She added: “And of course, we continue to support the families of the two students who died. There are not enough words of comfort for families who lose a child, but we will do all we can.”
Paxson also announced there would be support offices set up across campus for those affected by the shooting.
She said: “We know that the stress of this situation will live with our community for hours and days and weeks to come. We will find ways to be in community with each other.”
Brown University’s president paid tribute to students who opened their homes to fellow students who were evacuated from locked down areas of the campus overnight.
Christina Paxson said any students who were taken to an evacuation site have been relocated and have received food and a place to sleep. She said: “I am deeply moved by all the students who opened their homes and their arms to welcome friends into their dorms and other residences while we transported others to local hotels.”
Brown University students were told that all remaining classes and exams for the semester would be delayed after the shooting that killed two people and left several others injured.
In a note to students, the university’s provost, Francis J Doyle III, said the decision was made “out of our profound concern for all students, faculty and staff on our campus”. He encouraged students and staff to focus on their safety and wellbeing.
Doyle wrote:
In the immediate aftermath of these devastating events, we recognize that learning and assessment are significantly hindered in the short term and that many students and others will wish to depart campus. Students are free to leave if they are able. Students who remain will have access to on-campus services and support.
At this time, it is essential that we focus our efforts on providing care and support to the members of our community as we grapple with the sorrow, fear and anxiety that is impacting all of us right now. University leaders are committed to providing care and mobilizing resources to assist our community members through this difficult time.
A student who was shot in the leg in his classroom on Saturday told reporters how he helped another students who was seriously injured.
Spencer Yang, 18, told the New York Times he and the student were hiding behind seats. Speaking from the hospital where he was being treated, Yang told the NYT: “To keep him conscious, I just started talking to him, so he didn’t close his eyes and fall asleep.”
Police seen at hotel near Brown University reportedly linked to arrest
Images on the news wires show the hotel where FBI agents and other law enforcement personnel descended early on Sunday.
The Hampton Inn in Coventry, Rhode Island, is about a 20-minute drive from Brown University. It is reportedly where a person of interest was taken into custody.
Video footage on CNN showed a heavy police presence at a Providence area hotel before news this morning that a person of interest had been taken into custody.
The footage purports to show a number of officers entering a hotel room near the city’s airport early on Sunday morning. Officials refused to give any further information to reporters witnessing the moment.
The Associated Press has more on the investigation:
Armed with a handgun, the shooter fired more than 40 9mm rounds, according to a law enforcement official. Authorities had not found a gun as of Sunday morning but recovered two loaded 30-round magazines, said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the investigation.
Providence leaders warned that residents will notice a heavier police presence on Sunday.
“Everybody’s reeling, and we have a lot of recovery ahead of us,” Brown University’s president Christina Paxson told a news conference. “Our community’s strong and we’ll get through it, but it’s devastating.”
Seven people who were injured in the Saturday shooting are in a stable condition, with one of them in a critical but stable condition, Providence mayor Brett Smiley told reporters on Sunday.
The New York Times quotes Rhode Island governor Dan McKee, who told reporters: “My thoughts are still centered on those individuals who lost their lives.”
Shelter in place order lifted
A shelter in place order for Brown University was lifted early on Sunday morning.
The university released an update on its website saying police activity was continuing in the area and that it was still an active crime scene.
The update said: “Within the police perimeter, including Minden Hall and nearby apartment buildings, community members who leave those buildings will be unable to return.”
Here’s a recap of what we know about the attack so far:
A shooter dressed in black killed at least two people and wounded nine others at Brown University during final exams on the Ivy League campus.
Brown University president Christina Paxson confirmed that the two people killed were students. Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said a shelter-in-place was in effect for the area and encouraged people living near the campus to stay inside and not to return home until it was lifted.
Eight people with gunshot wounds were taken to Rhode Island hospital, where six were in critical but stable condition, according to Kelly Brennan, a spokesperson for the hospital. A ninth person was later found to have been injured, but was reportedly not in a critical situation.
University officials initially told students and staff that a suspect was in custody, before later saying that was not the case and that police were still searching for a suspect or suspects. The mayor said a person preliminarily thought to be involved was detained but was later determined to have no involvement.
President Donald Trump told reporters that he had been briefed on the shooting and “all we can do right now is pray for the victims.” Earlier he claimed a suspect was in custody before rowing back on that statement and confirming the shooter was still at large.
The shooting occurred in the Barus + Holley building, a seven-story complex that houses the School of Engineering and physics department. According to the university’s website, the building includes more than 100 laboratories, dozens of classrooms and offices. Brown, one of the America’s most prestigious colleges, has roughly 7,300 undergraduates and more than 3,000 graduate students.
Surveillance video released by police showed a suspect, dressed in black, calmly walking away from the scene. His face was not visible and investigators said it wasn’t clear whether the suspect is a student.
The suspect was last seen leaving the engineering building and some witnesses told police the suspect may have been wearing a camouflage mask, Providence Police Deputy Chief Timothy O’Hara said.
Earlier, Paxson said she was told 10 people who were shot were students. Another person was injured by fragments from the shooting but it was not clear if the victim was a student, she said.
The search for the shooter paralyzed the campus , the nearby neighborhoods filled with stately brick homes and the downtown in Rhode Island’s capital city. Streets normally bustling with activity on weekends were eerily quiet.
Students sheltered in place for hours into the night. Officers in tactical gear led students out of some campus buildings and into a fitness center where they waited. Others arrived at the shelter on buses without jackets or any belongings.
Person of interest detained after Brown University shooting
Police in Rhode Island said early Sunday that they had a person of interest in custody after a shooting that rocked the Brown University campus during final exams, leaving two people dead and nine others wounded.
Col Oscar Perez, chief of the Providence police, confirmed at a news conference that the detained person was in their 30s. Perez did not say where they were arrested or whether theywere connected to the university.
The shooting erupted in the engineering building of the Ivy League school in Providence, Rhode Island, during final exams. Hundreds of police officers had scoured the Brown University campus along with nearby neighborhoods and pored over video in pursuit of a shooter who opened fire in a classroom.
Providence leaders warned that residents will notice a heavier police presence on Sunday. Many local businesses announced they would remain closed and expressed shock and heartbreak as the community continued to process the news of the shooting.
“Everybody’s reeling, and we have a lot of recovery ahead of us,” said Brown University President Christina Paxson said at the news conference.
